In 1812 the Rev. Matthew G. Wallace, who had been preaching occasionally in Hamilton, came to the place to live, and organized a Presbyterian Church. He also opened a school for instruction in the usual English, branches and the classics, in the old court-house. A drawing of the building hangs in the present court-house. The next school was on Second Street, on a part of lot No. 188, where the Benninghofen residence now is. Here, about the year 1815, Benjamin B. PARDEE gave instruction. Very nearly at the same time there was a school in Rossville, near the river, half-way between the present suspension and railroad bridges. It was conducted by Mr. ELDER, and was attended by pupils from both side of the river.

At about the same time Alexander PROUDFIT, who had been classically educated, came to study medicine with Doctor Daniel MILLIKIN, and at the same time to teach. Doctor MILLIKIN built him a school-house on the north side of Heaton Street, between Second and Third Streets on lot No. 203. It was of hewed logs. Doctor MILLIKIN's own children attended, and in course of time many from other families.

In 1818 the Hamilton Literary Society erected, at the south-west corner of Third and Dayton Streets, the first story of a brick building, twenty-two by thirty-six feet, the Masonic fraternity afterwards adding a story for the use of its order. Here taught the Rev. James McMECHAN and Henry BAKER. Joseph BLACKLEACH followed them, remaining for two years, and having seventy or eighty pupils. He died in 1819 or 1820, while on a visit to Oxford. After him came Hugh B. HAWTHORNE.

In 1819 Ellen A. McMECHAN, daughter of Rev. James McMECHAN, who was then dead, opened a school on the north-east corner of Third and Buckeye Streets, lot No. 181, teaching there for one year. Removing from this location, she continued her school on Ludlow Street, near the north-west corner of Third, where she taught for seven years. She had about seventy pupils, of whom Mrs. L.D. CAMPBELL and Mrs. John M. MILLIKIN, and perhaps others, are still alive. She had been thoroughly trained, and to have been in her school was regarded as being itself a compliment. She charged three dollars for each term of five months, teaching five and a half days each week. There were other teachers who did not ask as much.

The Rev. Francis MONFORT taught between the years 1820 and 1822, in a frame house on the corner of Third and High Streets, lot No. 103, being the one now occupied by HUGHES Brothers. He gave instruction in the classics and higher mathematics, besides the ordinary English branches.

Benjamin F. RALEIGH taught from 1825 to 1830. He was township clerk of Fairfield Township for several years, and was township superintendent of common schools. This is the first notice we find of the common school system. He was a large, powerful man, and administered the government of the school with vigor.

GREER, another school teacher, whose place was on lot No. 72, was also a believer in the strong mode of teaching. "From the center of the room where he sat he would reach and remind his scholars with a hickory rod ten feet in length."

The most important school for the instruction of young ladies ever here was originated by John WOODS in 1832. He drew up articles of association for the foundation of seminary, designed to give a more thorough education than was then possible, to be entitled the Hamilton and Rossville Female Academy. Subscriptions to the amount of two thousand five hundred dollars were soon obtained, and the stockholder met and elected John WOODS, the Rev. Doctor David MacDILL, the Rev. Agustus POMEROY, James McBRIDE, and Caleb DeCAMP, directors of the association. Lot No. 247 was purchased, on Water Street, and a school-house erected, being the one now occupied as a city building, and in which the fire recently occurred. This was finished in the year 1834, and n the 7th of March, 1835, a bill was passed by the Legislature incorporating the academy. The bill was drafted by William BEBB, afterwards governor of the state.

Miss Maria DRUMMOND was the first teacher. On the 8th of October, 1835, Miss Georgetta HAVEN took charge of the school at a salary of four hundred dollars a year, but this was afterwards increased to five hundred dollars. Miss Amelia LOOKER and Miss Eliza HUFFMAN were employed as assistants at salaries of four hundred and three hundred dollars respectively. The academy soon became very prosperous, and in the Summer of 1836 there were one hundred and twenty-seven pupils upon the daily roll.

At the close of Miss Haven's administration, which lasted several years, the academy was conducted by Doctor GILES, Mr. BATCHELDER, Mr. MARHCANT, Mr. FURMAN, and others. But the common schools had now gone into operation, and they interfered with the success of the academy. It 1856 it was closed, and the building and site sold. The directors had an idea that the location of the building interfered with it and determined to try a new location, but although twenty-six years have since elapsed, they have not found it. The school had worthily fulfilled its mission, and from its halls many of our best ladies received their instruction.

From an old circular of the academy, in 1841, we take the following names of the young ladies who attended;
Margaret ABBOT, Eliza BEBB, Margaret G. BIGHAM, Rebecca BEATY, Mary D. BUDD, Catharine BRIETENBACH, Sarah E. CRAWFORD, Dorcas COOCH, Mary E. CURTIS, Isaphine CRANE, Sarah A. CONNER, Caroline CORNELL, Susan DANIELS, Lydia A. DUNN, Julia DURROUGH, Mary E. ELMER, Keziah ELLIOTT, Elizabeth HUESTON, Emma INGERSOLL, Sarah JONES, Amanda KLINE, Caroline KEYES, Amanda LOUTHAN, Emma LEFLAR, Marietta McBRIDE, Lydia M. McDILL, Mary McCLEARY, Amanda McDONALD, Ellen M. MATTHIAS, Emily E. MATTHIAS, Elizabeth C. MEYERS, Caroline MILLIKIN, Elizabeth MEREDITH, Sarah MORRIS, Jane PAYNE, Ann PAYNE, Emma PAYNE, Charlotte POTTER, Lucy RIGNON, Ellen RIDNON, Laura RIGNON, Isabella SUTHERLAND, Elizabeth TRABNER, Marcella SMITH, Nancy A. STEARNS, Sarah SINNARD, Angelina SMITH, Dell SCOTT, Martha TRABNER, Mary A. TAYLOR, Catherine TAYLOR, Sophia THOMAS, Martha WOODS, Rebecca WOODS, Rachel WOODS, Caroline M. WILLIAMS, Elizabeth WATKINS, Mary VAN HOOK, Susan VAN HOOK.

Another institution which had considerable celebrity in its day was the Rossville Presbyterian Academy, then under the direction of the Rev. Thomas E. THOMAS. And advertisement of his in 1848 reads:

This Institution, established a year since, under the direction of Oxford Presbytery, may not be regarded as upon a permanent basis. The experiment of the past year has proved entirely successful; more than fifty pupils having been in attendance during that period. The Institution is founded upon the principle of connecting careful religious training with intellectual education. The Bible is studies systematically, and recited daily, by every scholar. Our design is both to prepare young men for College, and to afford a good academical education for those who desire nothing more.

The course of study will embrace Rhetorical Reading, Geography, Grammar, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Ancient and Modern History, particularly that of the Untied States, the Constitution and Government of the United States; Natural History, including Anatomy, Physiology, etc.; the Latin and Greek Languages; Old and New Testament History, the Epistles and Prophecies, Biblical Antiquities, and an abridgment of Horne's Introduction to the study of the Scriptures, together with stated exercises in Declamation and Composition.

Terms per Session, five, seven or ten dollars in proportion to the advancement of the pupils; to be paid invariably in advance.

Boarding may be had, in private families, for one dollar and fifty cent per week.

Thomas E. THOMAS, Principal.
John THOMAS, Assistant.
By order of Presbytery,
Thomas E. THOMAS, Chairman of Committee.
October 2, 1848.

The common school system was inaugurated in 1825, but met with much opposition. From the time it went into effect down to 1851 the schools of what are now the Second, Third, and Fourth Wards were under the control of the school authorities of Fairfield township, and those of the First Ward were under the directors of St. Clair Township. The Second and Third Wards were then School District No. 1, and the Third Ward was District No. 10. It appears from the records that sharp bargains were made with the teachers whenever practicable, and they were frequently engaged by the day.

The First school-building for the use of common schools was erected not far from 1837. In this Mr. BEBB took great interest He suggested the plan, advanced a large portion of the money needed, and devoted much time to the completion of the work. This is now a part of the Third Ward School, on Dayton Street.

April 19, 1851, an election was held in which the electors voted for or against the adoption of the act of February 21, 1849, providing that cities and towns may be formed into one district, to be governed by a board of six directors and three examiners. It was adopted, and the officers chosen soon after took their position. Two of the directors, John W. ERWIN and John W. SOHN are still living in Hamilton. The examiners, Isaac ROBERTSON, Doctor Cyrus FALCONER, and William HUBER, all are alive and in the active practice of their professions. June 21, 1851, the first tax was levied by the board, being one and one-fourth mills on the dollar. June 30th, the township funds were transferred to John W. SOHN, treasurer. In 1852 the schools were classified. In 1853 Mr. J.W. LEGG, of Piqua, was engaged, at a salary of fifty dollars per month. In 1854, after the union of Rossville and Hamilton, Alexander BARTLETT was appointed superintendent of schools, at a salary of eighty dollars per month. The ladies employed as teachers, who this year received twenty-five dollars per month, petitioned for an advance, but it was not granted.

It had been a condition of the union of the two towns that a school-house should be erected in the First Ward, and on the 29th of May, 1856, the board of education adopted a resolution requesting the city council to advance sufficient money to build the house. On the 14th of August the council passed an ordinance appropriating eleven thousand dollars in aid of the work. The building was put up, but its cost far exceeded this amount. In June of this year the pupils were classified. In the 1857 the office of superintendent was separated from the duties of principal of the high school, and G.E. HOWE was chosen superintendent, at a salary of one thousand a year, and on January 12, 1858, S.A. NORTON was placed in charge of the high school, at a salary of eight hundred dollars per year. This was the time at which the First War school-house was completed, the force of teachers having in the meantime been increased from eight, employed in 1854, to seventeen.

In 1861 the schools were under the superintendency of John R. CHAMBERLIN, now of Cincinnati. Doctor W.W. CALDWELL became a member of the board of education in 1859, and was president in 1861. In 1862 he was elected treasurer of the board, holding that office until 1875, making a total of sixteen years' service. The German-English department was organized in 1851, the first teacher being Matthew PFAEFFLIN. The superintendent continued to hear lessons, as a part of his duty, until 1870. Mr. CHAMBERLIN was succeeded by Mr. H.T WHEELER, and he by John A. SHANK, John EDWARDS, and E. BISHOP, the latter retiring in 1871. Little is know about their labors.

The colored school was organized in September, 1853, and was taught in a dilapidated old shanty, situated on the site now occupied by the colored church. In 1867 a building was finally erected, at a cost of two thousand dollars.

In 1871 the public schools passed under the management of Mr. Alston ELLIS, and he was succeeded by Mr. LD. BROWN, the present superintendent, March 1, 1879.

In 1873 it was resolved to build a school-house in the Fourth Ward. At lot had been purchased three years before, a cost of four thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight dollars. The plans and specification of the contract were prepared and approved in June, 1873, and the contract was awarded in July. The house was first occupied in September, 1874, and had ten commodious well ventilated school-rooms, each having a seating capacity for fifty-six pupils, and a large room for general exercises on the third floor. The building is very thoroughly put up, and every thing was done in the best manner. When completed and the bill brought in a very severe criticism was indulged in, on account of the cost, which was much beyond what had been expected. The following are the details:

Main building--	Erection of the building Lightning rods Architect Total cost of main building	$66,025.65 270.00 1,866.00 ------------- 68,161.65
Janitor's House-- Furniture, stoves, etc-- Fence-- Grading Lot-- Miscellaneous-- Well and Pump	Erection of the building School-desks, stoves and Other furniture Putting up fence and painting the same Filling up and grading school-lot, Negotiating bonds issued by the Board of education	6,732.67 2,277.45 1,904.00 1,979.38 10,300.36 193.00